Flat panel television/display

• US 4,563,617 A
• Filed: 01/10/1983
• Issued: 01/07/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Electronic Images Research Partners
• Original Assignee: Allen S. Davidson
• Inventors: Davidson, Allen S.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/456,817
• Time in Patent Office: 1,093 Days
• Field of Search: 313/522, 313/513, 313/514, 340/762, 340/782, 315/312, 315/313, 445/27, 445/48
• US Class Current: 315/312
• CPC Class Codes: H01K 1/28 Envelopes; Vessels
• CPC Class Codes: H01K 9/00 Lamps having two or more incandescent bodies separately heated H01K11/00, H01K13/00 take precedence

Abstract

A bright, economical, flat panel television/display is fabricated by laser welding incandescent metal particles together to form light emitting micro-beads, the ends of which are simultaneously welded to driving electrodes. The small physical mass and dimensions of each bead permit it to be fired to an incandescent state at high rates, becoming a controllable, bright, point source of light suitable as a picture element to create moving images. The beads are suspended between a heat resistant substrate and faceplate, both of which contain depressions proximate to each bead to provide thermal spacing and optical and thermal reflectivity to direct visible light out of the panel, and heat back to the bead, conserving power. Color filters provide full color image display in a system operating at approximately five volts, and which can be built to any size and shape. Three dimensional display capability is inherent when a plurality of transparent display panels are laminated.

Claims

1. A flat panel electronic display screen comprising:

an electrically insulating substrate member;

an array of incandescent light-emitting microbeads disposed over an inner surface of said substrate member;

a plurality of row and column electrodes for selectively energizing said microbeads, each microbead being operatively associated with a pair of said row and column electrodes; and

a transparent faceplate member overlying said microbeads and said substrate member to form a thin assembled display screen.

2. The display screen of claim 1 wherein said substrate member is formed with a plurality of concavities in the inner surface thereof disposed so as to underlie said microbeads.

3. The display screen of claim 2 wherein each said concavity is shaped to reflect light emitted by the respective overlying microbead in a preferentially forward direction from said substrate member.

4. The display screen of claim 3 wherein each said concavity is shaped to define a focal point and each respective overlying microbead is positioned at said focal point.

5. The display screen of claim 2 wherein said concavities are provided with light-reflective surfaces.

6. The display screen of claim 1 wherein said substrate member is transparent.

7. The display screen of claim 6 wherein said row and column electrodes are substantially transparent.

8. The display screen of claim 1 wherein said row and column electrodes are applied to the inner surface of said substrate member.

9. The display screen of claim 8 wherein said substrate member is formed with a plurality of concavities in the inner surface thereof disposed so as to underlie said microbeads, and said row and column electrodes define a plurality of pairs of row and column electrical contact points, a pair being positioned proximate to the rim of each said concavity with said inner surface and electrically connected to the respective overlying microbead.

10. The display screen of claim 1 wherein said row electrodes are substantially perpendicular to said column electrodes so as to define a plurality of crossover points and said row and column electrodes are electrically insulated from one another at said crossover points.

11. The display screen of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of pairs of row and column electrical contact points arrayed on the inner surface of said substrate member, each microbead being electrically connected with a pair of said contact points, and said row and column electrodes being disposed on a back surface of said substrate member opposite said inner surface and electrically communicating with said pairs of contact points through said substrate member for selectively energizing said microbeads.

12. The display screen of claim 11 wherein said electrical contact points are spaced above said inner surface.

13. The display screen of claim 11 wherein said substrate member is formed with a plurality of concavities in the inner surface thereof disposed so as to underlie said microbeads, and the row and column contact points of each said pair are positioned at the rim of a respective concavity with said inner surface at generally opposite points across said rim.

14. The display screen of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of electrically conducting posts penetrating through said substrate member and connecting said row and column electrodes with said pairs of contact points for effecting electrical communication therebetween.

15. The display screen of claim 1 wherein said faceplate member is formed with a plurality of concavities in an inner surface thereof disposed so as to overlie said plurality of microbeads.

16. The display screen of claim 15 wherein said substrate member is formed with a plurality of concavities in an inner surface thereof underlying said plurality of microbeads and in registration with the concavities in said faceplate member.

17. The display screen of claim 1, further comprising color filter means overlying a plurality of said microbeads.

18. The display screen of claim 17 wherein said color filter means is provided by a colored layer applied to an inner surface of said faceplate member.

19. The display screen of claim 18 wherein said colored layer is provided by a colored penetrating stain applied to the inner surface of said faceplate member.

20. The display screen of claim 17 wherein said microbeads form an array having a density sufficiently great for the display of a continuous image, and said color filter means further comprises first, second, and third primary color filter means overlying first, second, and third subarrays of said array of microbeads, said subarrays being arranged in a pattern for displaying a full-color image by selectively energizing microbeads of said subarrays.

21. The display screen of claim 20 wherein said first, second, and third primary color filter means are provided by colored layers extending over first, second, and third portions of the inner surface of said faceplate member according to said pattern.

22. The display screen of claim 20 wherein said face plate member is formed with a plurality of concavities disposed so as to overlie said microbeads, and said first, second, and third primary color filter means are provided by first, second, and third pluralities of discrete primary color filters, one such filter being disposed in each said concavity according to said pattern.

23. The display screen of claim 1, further comprising an optically transparent infrared-reflective coating applied to an inner surface of said faceplate member.

24. The display screen of claim 1, said display screen being driven by a circuit having a characteristic impedance, and said microbeads having an electrical resistance large compared with said characteristic impedance, thereby minimizing effects of fluctuations in the impedance of said circuit.

25. The display screen of claim 1, further comprising heat dissipation means in thermal contact with said faceplate member for controlling the temperature thereof.

26. The display screen of claim 1 wherein said microbeads have a generally prolate shape so as to resist mechanical shock and electrical burnout.

27. The display screen of claim 1 wherein said microbeads are formed with an irregular surface over at least a portion of the microbead surface area so as to exaggerate the light-emitting area and thereby enhance the brightness of said microbeads.

28. A flat panel electronic display screen comprising:

an electrically insulating substrate member;

an array of incandescent light-emitting microelements disposed over an inner surface of said substrate member in an array having a density sufficiently great for the display of a continuous image;

a plurality of row and column electrodes for selectively energizing said microelements, each microelement being operatively associated with a pair of said row and column electrodes;

first, second, and third primary color filter means overlying first, second, and third subarrays of said array of microelements, said subarrays being arranged in a pattern for displaying a full-color image by selectively energizing microelements of said subarrays; and

a transparent faceplate member overlying said microelements and said substrate member to form a thin assembled display screen.

29. The display screen of claim 28 wherein said first, second, and third primary filter means are provided by colored layers extending over first, second, and third portions of an inner surface of said faceplate member according to said pattern.

30. The display screen of claim 28 wherein said faceplate member is formed with a plurality of concavities disposed so as to overlie said microelements, and said first, second, and third primary color filter means are provided by first, second, and third pluralities of discrete primary color filters, one such filter being disposed in each said concavity according to said pattern.

31. A flat panel electronic display screen comprising:

an electrically insulating substrate member formed with a plurality of concavities in a surface thereof;

a plurality of substantially uniform incandescent light-emitting microelements, each microelement being disposed at a concavity of said plurality;

a plurality of row and column electrodes for selectively energizing said microelements, said electrodes being arrayed on said surface of said substrate member in row and column directions running at least partially along the borders of said concavities with said substrate member surface so as not to block radiation emitted by said microelements or reflected from said concavities, and each said microelement being electrically connected with a pair of said row and column electrodes at the border of its respective concavity; and

a transparent faceplate member overlying said microelements and said substrate member to form a thin assembled display screen, said faceplate member being formed with a plurality of concavities in the inner surface thereof in registration with the concavities of said substrate member.

32. The display screen of claim 31 wherein said microelements are provided by microbeads.

33. The display screen of claim of 31 wherein the concavities in said substrate member define an array of pixels having a density sufficiently great for the display of a continuous image.

34. The display screen of claim 33, further comprising barrier means providing a barrier between adjacent pixels of said array for preventing a microelement positioned at a first pixel from significantly illuminating pixels adjacent thereto.

35. The display screen of claim 34 wherein said microelements are provided by microbeads.

36. A flat panel electronic display screen comprising:

an electrically insulating substrate member formed of a heat resistant material with a plurality of concavities in a surface thereof, said concavities having a light-reflective and heat reflective surface;

a plurality of substantially uniform incandescent light emitting microbeads of a generally prolate shape sized to have a small physical and thermal mass, each microbead being disposed at a concavity of said substrate member and spaced apart therefrom so as to reduce heat transfer to said substrate member;

a transparent faceplate member overlying said substrate member, said faceplate member being formed of a heat resistant material with a plurality of concavities in the inner surface thereof in registration with the concavities of said substrate member, the concavities of said faceplate member having a heat-reflective surface, and said faceplate member being spaced apart from said substrate member so as to reduce heat transfer from said microbeads to said faceplate member;

wherein the concavities of said substrate member are shaped to reflect light emitted by said microbeads preferentially forward toward said faceplate member; and

a plurality of row and column electrodes arranged to form an array of crossover points, said electrodes being disposed on said surface of said substrate member in row and column directions running at least partially along the borders of said concavities with said substrate member surface, each microbead being disposed proximate to, and electrically connect across, a respective crossover point for selective energizing thereof.

37. A flat panel electronic display screen for use in high-resolution display of moving images, comprising:

an electrically insulating substrate member defining a plurality of pixels on a surface thereof at a pixel density too great to be resolved by the human eye at intended viewing distances;

a plurality of incandescent light-emitting microelements disposed at said pixels, said microelements not exceeding the associated pixels in size and being formed with sufficiently low thermal inertia to be energized and de-energized at video rates for the display of moving images;

a plurality of row and column electrodes for selectively energizing said microelements, each microelement being operatively associated with a pair of said row and column electrodes; and

a transparent faceplate member overlying said microelements and substrate member to form a thin assembled display screen.

38. The display screen of claim 37 wherein said pixels are provided with a light-reflective surface.

39. The display screen of claim 38 wherein said microelements are provided by microbeads.

40. The display screen of claim 39 wherein said microbeads have a generally prolate shape thereby to resist mechanical shock and electrical burnout.

41. The display screen of claim 37, further comprising first, second, and third primary color filter means overlying first, second, and third subarrays of said plurality of pixels and associated microelements, said subarrays being arranged in a pattern for displaying full-color images by selectively energizing microelements of said subarrays.

42. The display screen of claim 41 wherein said microelements are provided by microbeads.